553 of 671 B-17s hit the port area at Wilhelmshaven, Germany; another 56 hit the Emden area; and 1 hits Oldenburg; 1.8 million leaflets are dropped by B-17s.

193 B-24s are dispatched but they abort the mission over the Zuider Zee due to clouds; 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft are claimed; 4 B-17s are lost, 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 47 B-17s are damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 9 WIA and 42 MIA. Escort is provided by 74 P-38s, 508 P-47s of the Eighth and Ninth Air Force and 50 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 8-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 8 P-47s and 1 P-51 are lost, 3 P-47s are damaged beyond repair and 13 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 9 MIA.

In view of the previous decision to concentrate most of the training activities of the Eighth Air Force in the VIII Air Force Composite Command, a decision is made to transfer HQ from Limavady, County Derry, Ireland, to Cheddington, England, to bring it closer to the combat crew training stations over which it is to be given supervision. Most of the transfer is completed between 7 and 15 Feb.

Mission 210:

Airfields in France are targeted. 103 B-17s are dispatched to Châteauroux/ Martinerie and Avord Airfields with 50 hitting each target; 121 B-17s are dispatched to Château dun (61 bomb) and Orleans/Bricy (60 bomb) Airfields; 182 B-17s are dispatched to Romilly-sur-Seine air depot but 133 hit Villacoublay.

5 of 5 B-17s drop 300 bundles of leaflets during a CARPETBAGGER mission on Ghent, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium at 2026-2037 hours without loss.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

22

2

20

-

-

780x100lb IB

Fair

-

Group Mission #19

SUNDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 212:

Airfields and V-weapon launch sites in France are targeted but weather forces 400+ bombers to abort the mission.

189 B-17s are dispatched against the Romilly-sur-Seine Air Depot and 60 hit St Andre de L'Eure Airfield and 40 hit Evreux/Fauville Airfield; 303 B-17s are dispatched to Nancy/Essay and Dijon/Longvic Airfields but only 60 hit Caen/Carpiquet Airfield.

Escorting are 85 P-38s, 506 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 47 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 11-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-7 on the ground; 3 P-38s and 1 P-47 are lost, 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s are damaged beyond repair and 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 4 MIA.

53 of 54 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Siracourt, France while 57 of 73 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Watten, France; 41 B-24s are damaged and 10 airmen are WIA; escort is 89 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s.

6 of 6 B-17s drop 360 bundles of leaflets in a CARPETBAGGER operation over Caen, Rouen, Paris, Rennes and Amiens, France at 2106-2136 hours without loss.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

22

7

15

-

-

42x2000lb GP32x1000lb GP

Fair

-

Group Mission #21

THURSDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 216:

141 of 169 B-17s hit the industrial area at Brunswick, Germany and 2 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 42-30-61 Luftwaffe aircraft; 29 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 52 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 295 MIA; escort is provided by 64 P-38s, 357 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 45 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 56-1-40 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-2 on the ground; 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are lost, 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair and 6 P-47s are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 9 MIA.

27 of 81 B-24s hit the Gilze-Rijen Airfield, The Netherlands; dense contrails and frost prevent most aircraft from attacking; 4 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; casualties are 26 KIA and 14 WIA; escort is provided by 91 P-47s without loss.

Mission 217:

In a CARPETBAGGER mission, 5 of 5 B-17s drop 260 bundles of leaflets on Rennes, Caen, Rouen and Amiens, France and Antwerp, Belgium at 2111-2145 hours without loss.

HQ, 364th Fighter Group and 383rd, 384th and 385th Fighter Squadrons arrive at Honington, England from the US with P-38J's; first mission is 2 March.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

11

5

6

-

-

66x500lb GP

Unobserved

-

Group Mission #22

FRIDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 218:

94 of 201 B-24s bomb the Siracourt V-weapon site in France with PFF equipment; the remaining aircraft were assigned individual targets without PFF and were unable to locate their targets; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 17 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 1 WIA and 10 MIA; escort is provided by 85 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 41 P-51s without loss.

5 of 5 B-17s drop 250 bundles of leaflets on Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium at 2118-2146 hours without loss.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

23

22

1

-

-

276x500lb GP

Unobserved

-

Group Mission #23

SUNDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 1944

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

ZONE OF INTERIOR:

The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) accepts revision of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) Plan. The targets are reduced to a number that can be decisively attacked and target lists are revised to keep up with the effort of the Germans to relocate vital industrial plants. Disruption of communication lines and reduction of the Luftwaffe are high priority aims included in the CCS directive on this date.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 221:

V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France are hit.

266 of 277 B-17s hit 12 sites and 138 of 192 B-24s hit 5 sites. 12 B-24s hit targets of opportunity; they claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17s are lost, 2 B-17s and 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair, and 74 B-17s and 57 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 7 KIA, 23 WIA and 24 MIA. Escort is provided by 189 P-47s and 43 P-51s; they claim 6-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-4 on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost and 4 P-47s damaged; no casualties.

The Eighth Air Force begins "Big Week," attacks on German aircraft plants and airfields. For the first time, over 1,000 bombers are dispatched; 21 bombers and 4 fighters are lost hitting 3 areas in Germany, i.e.:

333 B-17s are dispatched to Schweinfurt but severe weather prevents aircraft from forming properly and they are forced to abandon the mission prior to crossing the enemy coast; 2 B-17s are damaged.

177 B-24s are dispatched but they are recalled when 100 miles (160 km) inland; since they were over Germany, they sought targets of opportunity but strong winds (90 kts) drove the bombers over The Netherlands and their bombs hit Enschede, Arnhem, Nijmegen and Deventer; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost and 3 damaged; casualties are 30 MIA.

These missions are escorted by 67 P-38s, 535 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s, and 57 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the P-38s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 6 are damaged; the P-47s claim 39-6-15 Luftwaffe aircraft, 8 P-47s are lost and 12 damaged, 8 pilots are MIA; the P-51s claim 19-1-10 Luftwaffe aircraft, 3 P-51s are lost and 3 damaged, 3 pilot are MIA.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

28

2

-

-

2

77x120lb FB

Recalled

-

Group Mission #28

THURSDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 233:

3rd Bomb Division (B-17) had 295 of 304 aircraft bomb Rostok and other targets of opportunity, missing their primaries (aviation industry plants at Tutow, Posen and Keising). They lost 5 aircraft and had 60 damaged.

1st Bomb Division had 238 0f 266 B-17’s bomb the aviation industry at Schweinfurt. They lost 11 aircraft and had 160 damaged.

2nd Bomb Division had 169 of 239 B-24’s bomb the aviation industry at Gotha (Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.G., aircraft factory airdrome and GAF Station). The Division lead bombardier, suffering from anoxia due to a faulty oxygen mask, mistook the town of Eisenachas the primary and 43 aircraft dropped on him. Due to unforeseen winds aloft, the 445th Bomb Group arrived at their fighter cover assembly point 11 minutes early and proceeded on to the target without escort. They lost 13 of 25 aircraft in one of the longest running air battles of the war – lasting some four and a half hours. By direction of the President of the United States, the unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for their gallantry in continuing the attack and severely damaging the target.

Mission 234:

1st Bomb Division (B-17) had 5 of 5 aircraft drop 250 bundles of leaflets over Lorient, Tours, Nantes, Brest, and Reims between 2208 and 2226 hours with no losses.

Acft T/O

Aborts

Over Pri

Over Sec

Over L/R

Bomb Load

Scoring

Losses

29

5

18

6

-

180x500lb GP

60x500lb GP

Excellent

13

Group Mission #29

FRIDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 235:

In the final "Big Week" mission, 4 targets in Germany are hit; 31 bombers and 3 fighters are lost.

268 B-17s are dispatched to aviation industry targets at Augsburg and the industrial area at Stuttgart; 196 hit Augsburg and targets of opportunity and 50 hit Stuttgart; they claim 8-4-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 13 B-17s are lost and 172 damaged; casualties are 12 WIA and 130 MIA.

218 of 226 B-17s hit aviation industry targets at Brunswick, Germany and targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost and 54 damaged; casualties are 4 WIA and 10 MIA. Escorting are 61 P-38s, 346 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 147 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 2 P-38s are lost and 1 damaged, 2 pilots are MIA; the P-47s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, 1 P-47 is lost and 1 damaged, 1 pilot is MIA; 1 P-51 is lost, the pilot is MIA.

Mission 241:

38 of 48 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Lottinghen, France without loss. Escorting are 79 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s; 1 is lost and the pilot is MIA.